Swimmers have been urged to avoid a popular lake after authorities warned there could be a potentially deadly brain-eating amoeba lurking in the water.
Drakesbrook Weir, 117 kilometers south of Perth, was closed on Friday after traces of the Naegleria amoeba were found.
Waroona Shire Council is carrying out further testing to confirm whether what is known as Naegleria Fowleri is also present.
Naegleria fowleri can cause the deadly disease amoebic meningitis.
The Drakesbrook Weir, 117km south of Perth, was closed on Friday after traces of the Naegleria amoeba were found (pictured, swimmers in the Weir)
Amoebic meningitis is caused by an amoeba that enters the brain through water rising through the nose, and the disease has a 99 percent mortality rate.
The dam was also closed in January and February for the same reason.
‘“For your safety, the Shire advises people not to swim at Drakesbrook Weir until further notice,” the council said in a Facebook post on Friday afternoon.
‘The Shire will publish the test results as soon as they are available. The pathology laboratory has reported that results from specific tests for Naegleria fowleri may take up to 7 days.
Only three cases of amoebic meningitis have been reported in Western Australia since the 1980s, but swimmers have still been warned to exercise caution.
People have been known to be affected by the infection in bodies of fresh water that do not have enough chlorine, such as swimming pools or water parks.
Waroona Shire Council is carrying out further testing to confirm whether what is known as Naegleria Fowleri is also present in the lake.
The amoeba thrives in heat and warm water, but it is not found in salt water and cannot be transmitted from person to person.
Symptoms of brain infection may include headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting.
The disease spreads so quickly that infections can become fatal in just five days.
Locals who recently swam in the dam and are starting to feel unwell have been urged to seek medical help immediately.